Dorian Wilson

Conductor

Born in 1964, Dorian Wilson, one of Leonard Bernstein’s last students, first received international recognition at the 1989 Malko International Conducting Competition, at age 24. As a result he was asked to be the second conductor for the Moscow Philharmonic; an unprecedented appointment in Russia; making Wilson the first american guest conductor in fifteen years and, at 25 years old, the youngest conductor in their history. Later Wilson was to be the first guest conductor of the Russian National Orchestra. He continues his close associations in Russia, especially with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic where he frequently conducts. In recognition of his work over the years, Dorian Wilson has been given the title Permanent Guest Conductor of the St. Petersburg Symphony. He has performed in the great halls of Paris, Rome, Moscow, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Berlin, Amsterdam, Florence, Seoul, and St. Petersburg.  From 2004 until 2007 Wilson was Principal Guest Conductor, then Music Director of the Belgrade Philharmonic, including a tour of Scandinavia in 2006.  In October 2006 Wilson conducted a 9 concert tour of Spain with the Berliner Symphoniker.

Between 1998 and 2003 Wilson was Music Director of Theater Vorpommern, Germany (Budget €19 million. 330 staff including 210  under Wilson’s responsibility; orchestra, soloists, choirs, ensemble, ballet and all directors of said ensembles). In his tenure there he conducted over 50 productions in more than 300 performances. A solid repertoire was grounded with many of the standard operas and ballets, as well as new and seldom-heard works. Other opera performances include the highly acclaimed production of Mozart’s “Cosí fan Tutte at the Grand Theatre de Bordeaux, for the Deutsche Oper Berlin production of Mozart’s “Nozze di Figaro” and continues his work in Berlin with Bizet’s “Carmen”, Puccini’s “Turandot” and Verdi’s “La Traviata” at Komische Oper Berlin. Wilson made his Royal Swedish Opera debut with “Nozze di Figaro” and conducted the production of “Lohengrin” at the Deutsches National Theater Weimar, where he was immediately asked to conduct the new production of “La Boheme”.

As recognized by the International Federation of Music Competitions, Wilson has won more International prizes for conducting than any other conductor. Since 1989 Wilson has won an additional 8 prizes in every conducting competition he has entered, virtually every one of the world’s major competitions:

Dimtri Mitropoulos; Athens, 1996, Kiril Kondrashin; Amsterdam, 1994, Tokyo International; Tokyo, 1994, Antonio Pedrotti; Italy, 1991, Arturo Toscanini; Italy, 1990, 1992, Nicolai Malko; Copenhagen, 1989, 1992

and Jean Sibelius; Helsinki, 1995.